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G. R. SCHOENTHALER.

SPACER FOR CONCRETE REINFORCING BARS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. M1917.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

R. SGHOENTHALEBJ, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

I Y srncnn ron concanrn-anrnroncine sans.

Application filed April 4. 1.917.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I GEORGE R. Sononn- 'rHALnn,a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, countyof Spacers for Concretelteinforcing Bars, of which the followlng 1s afull, clear, and eX- act descrlption, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to provision of an improved spacerwhich possesses a maximum sustaining-power, requires a minimum amount ofmaterial in its construction and has specially designed featuresarranged for cooperation with the supported bars whereby the spacer ismaintained upright or in its normal position relative to the-form-work.

Fi ure 1 is a ers ectiveview of a device. embodying one form'of myinvention;

Fig. 2 1s a side view of the same; Flg. 3 1S ahsectionalview takensubstantially on line 8-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. i is a perspective detail of a modified form;

Fig. 5 is a side View of asecond modified form; 7

Fig. 6 is an end view of the same;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a blank showing the manner in which the metalis slotted to form the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6.

As will be obvious to one skilled in the art, the device illustrated inthese drawings is designed to be employed in supporting reinforcing barsfor concrete structures in proper position relative to the form whilethe reinforcements are being placed and while the concrete is beingpoured about them. The device is formed of a strip or blank of ductilesheet metal of proper gage to givethe requisite strength and ofsufficient rigidity to prevent its being bent or deflected by the weightof the material w rich it is designed to support as well as such othercasual stresses as it may be subjected to in installation. The blank isformed with a Specification of Letters Patent.

Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

Serial no. 158,691.

plurality of transverse slots extending partway its width so as toprovide strut members 1 which are conjoined by an integral body portion2. The strut members 1 are deflected some to one side and some to theother side of the plane in which they originally lay, in which plane thebody portion 2 is left, so that some of the strut members I extendangularly to one side of the body portion 2 and some to the other side.The outer extremities of the strut members 1 are adapted to engage asuitable supporting surface, such as the surface of the form-work sothat the strut members may act cooperatively to support the body portion2 at a distanceabove or away from the supporting surface. The bodyportion 2 is designed to support the reinforcing bars which are laidtransversely of the device, which function it may perform effectively byvirtue of the fact that it lies with its maximum dimension in the lineof the moments occasioned by the weight of the supported bars. For theaccommodation of the bars, and for the pro vision of the staying meansabout to be described, the body portion is slotted transversely from itsouter edge across a portion of its width only, and the portions of themetal between juxtaposed slots are deflected laterally to positionssubstantially perpendicular to the body portion to provide the staymembers 4. Some of the stay members are deflected to one side of thebody portion and some to the other so that collectively they project atopposite sides thereof. Due to the inherent rigidity of the material.the stay members i are quite stifi, so as to require a force in excessof that to which they will be subjected in the normal use of the device,to change their angularity relative to the body portion. Although notnecessary, it is desirable for the strength of the device that the staymembers t be formed each opposite a strut member 1 as distinguished fromintermediate the strut members; As will be at once apparent from Fig. i,this form of the metal provides suitable spaced slot-s in'the bodyportion for the reception of the supported bars. The parts of the bodyportion intermediate said slot-s form spacers for retaining the bars atthe proper distances apart. and the stay members at have contact. withthe bars disposed in these slots. Inasmuch as the stay members i extendto opposite sides of the body portion andhave contact with thesupportbalance relative to the form and the bars.

Of course, any suitable attaching means, such as the ductile members 5,may be provided adjacent the bar-receiving slots for securing the barsto the spacer.

In Fig. l is illustrated a form in which the invention may be embodiedand in which immediately juxtaposed portions of the metal are deflectedin opposite directions to form the stay members 4. In this arrangementthe immediately adjacent stay members may cooperate with the same bar.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7, I have shown an arrangement whereby the ductileretaining members 5 may be formed integral 011 the device. In this form,as seen in Fig. 7, the metal is slit longitudinally, as at 6, for aportion of the distance between the transversely slotted portion at theouter extremity of the body portion, the said transverse slots beingspaced to a greater distance, apart. When the stay portions 4 aredeflected laterally, the portion detached by the longitudinal slits 6 isalso turned laterally, and forms a ductile finger immediately contiguousthe stay member and adapted to be bent about a bar resting thereon.

From the foregoing description of my i11- vention, it will be seen thatit provides a spacer having the desirable qualities of extreme economyand great strength, and which is so constructed as to obviate its tipping when in engagement with the supported structure. At the same time,the

outer extremities to maintain the construction of the device is suchthat there are no arched-over portions such as would tend to obstructthe flow of the plastic concrete mixture into engagement with all sidesof the device and the bars, and thereby contribute to the formation ofvoids or pockets in the concrete.

I am aware that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in formsdifi'ering in various particulars from those herein illustrated anddescribed, and it is my intention that the letter be taken as simplyillustrative, and the claims as comprehensive of the true spirit andscope of the invention.

What I claim is:

As a new article of manufacture, aspacer formed of a strip of sheetmetal and having a longitudinally continuous body portion, leg membersalong one margin of the body portion extending obliquely to oppositesides of the plane thereof, comparatively rigid stay members formedadjacent the other margin of the body portion and extending in oppositedirections from the plane thereof, and portions of the metalintermediate the stay members forming interspacers; the leg membersbeing adapted to contact with a supporting surface at their devicethereon, the stay members being adapted to contact with supported barson opposite sides of the body portion to hold the device against'tippingrelative to the bars, and the interspacers being adapted to engage barsto retain them against movement longitudinally of the device.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses, this 31st day of March, 1917. I

GEORGE R. SCHOENTI-IALER.

